A connector 210 shown in FIG. 6 includes a terminal 205 having an electric connecting portion 252 connected with a mating member 9 at one end of the terminal and a wire connecting portion 255 joined with a terminal end of an electric wire 206 at the other end of the terminal, a connector housing 204 having a terminal receiving section 241 receiving the terminal 205 and the electric wire 206 joined with the terminal 205 and a water seal plug 201, which is arranged around the electric wire 206 and fitted into the terminal receiving section 241 so as to seal watertightly between an outer surface of the electric wire 206 and an inner surface of the terminal receiving section (Refer Patent Document 1).
The mating member 9 is formed for example into a terminal of an electronic device with a connecting member 92 having a plate portion 90 made of electric conductive metal and a round hole 91 arranged at the plate portion 90. The connecting member 92 is placed on a terminal block 8 arranged in an enclosure of the electronic device, and fastened on the terminal block 8 by a bolt 11 and a nut 12. The bolt 11 is inserted into the round hole 91 and previously arranged at the terminal block 8. The bolt 11 and the nut 12 are fastened in a fastening direction shown with an arrow Y (direction Y) in FIG. 6. A direction shown with an arrow X (direction X) in FIG. 6 is a direction perpendicular to the direction shown with the arrow Y.
The electric connecting portion 252 includes a plate portion 250 made of conductive metal and a round hole 251 arranged at the plate portion 250. The electric connecting portion 252 is placed on the terminal block 8 and the connecting member 92 of the mating member 9 so as to insert the bolt 11 into the round hole 251. Thus, the electric connecting portion 252 is fastened at the connecting member 92 by the bolt 11 and the nut 12 so as to be connected with the connecting member 92.
The wire connecting portion 255 includes a flat mount portion 253 extending along the direction X continuously from the plate portion 250, and a crimp piece 254 extending vertically from a side edge of the mount portion 253 for joining a core wire of the electric wire 206 placed on the mount portion 253 therewith by crimping. An outer insulation cover at an end of the electric wire 206 is removed so as to expose the core wire.
The water seal plug 201 includes a water seal portion 203 made of rubber and a resin portion 202 made of synthetic resin formed integrally with the water seal portion 203. The water seal portion 203 includes a cylindrical main body 230 passing the electric wire 206 therethrough, a plurality of ring-shape outer lips 231 projecting from an outer surface of the main body 230 and touching tightly the inner surface of the terminal receiving section 241, and a plurality of ring-shape inner lips 232 projecting from an inner surface of the main body 230 and touching tightly an outer surface of the electric wire 206. The inner lips 232 not in elastically deformed condition is shown with a chain line in FIG. 6. As shown with the chain line in FIG. 6, the plurality of inner lips 232 is formed so as to have equal projecting height from the inner surface of the main body 230. The resin portion 202 is formed into cylindrical shape and arranged inside the main body 230. The resin portion 202 is provided for preventing deformation by aged deterioration and improving stiffness of the water seal portion 203.
According to the connector 210 structured above, after the water seal plug 201 is arranged around the electric wire 206, the terminal end of the electric wire 206 is joined with the wire connecting portion 255, and the terminal 205, the electric wire 206 and water seal plug 201 are received in the terminal receiving section 241 of the connector housing 204 so that the connector 210 is assembled. The outer lips 231 of the water seal plug 201 abuts on the inner surface of the terminal receiving section 241, and deformed so as to seal water tightly between the inner surface of the terminal receiving section 241 and it. The inner lips 232 of the water seal plug 201 abuts on the outer surface of the electric wire 206, and deformed so as to seal water tightly between the outer surface of the electric wire 206 and it.
According to the above connector 210, when the electric connecting portion 252 of the terminal 205 is fastened by the bolt 11 and the nut 12, the terminal 205 and the electric wire 206 are moved about 1 mm in a direction of fastening by the bolt 11 and the nut 12, that is the direction Y. A length along the direction Y of the terminal receiving section 241 is designed to include a value of this moving of the terminal 205 and the electric wire 206. The water seal plug 201 performs not only water sealing but also preventing the terminal 205 and the electric wire 206 from rattling.